On the job: Becoming a Flavor Chemist

By: Eugene Buday, GSB & Associates

I don’t think so! The first hurdle in this discipline is its relative obscurity. Not many people outside the food and flavor industry know of — or have even heard of — flavor chemistry. The science and art of flavor chemistry is not taught at a university or college. In the United States, there are several short courses offered at such institutions as Rutgers and the University of Missouri, St. Louis. However, these usually are attended by people already in the flavor industry (as opposed to aspiring academics) who are looking to acquire expertise not offered by their present employer. In the United Kingdom, the British Society of Flavourists (BSF) sponsors various flavor training courses, and the University of Reading is recognized as a center of flavor chemistry.